Berlin: Why Does Roi Wear the Glove All the Time?

In a heist, every person in the crew serves a unique purpose. In ‘Berlin,’ Roi is the master lockbreaker, but that’s not his only role. He considers Berlin a father-like figure, even though the latter doesn’t consider him more than a pet or, worse, an errand boy. The relationship between them is hardly balanced, but Roi holds Berlin in high regard and, at least in the beginning, really follows him around like a puppy. Another thing that sets him apart is his habit of wearing the driving glove on his left hand all the time. He never takes it off. Why’s that? SPOILERS AHEAD

Roi’s Gloves Are Connected to His Painful Childhood

One of the key things about being a part of the heist is that the crew must keep things casual between them. Under the reign of the Professor, all crew members were advised not to make any romantic connections between them, and Berlin seems to enforce the same rule on his crew, even though he doesn’t really follow it himself. Still, the crew members know better than to divulge too much about themselves. It’s better not to ask too much either, which is why no one pays attention to Roi’s perpetual glove. Even if they do notice it, they don’t make it their business to ask him about it, as it would cross a line. Cameron, however, doesn’t seem to care about it.

After the heist is done and the crew is on the run, Roi and Cameron are stuck together. On the way, they talk about their painful pasts. She’d already told him about her heartbreak following a painful breakup. Later, he, too, opens up about his past, which makes Cameron realize how much more difficult it was for Roi.

The reason he wears the glove on his left hand all the time is that he doesn’t want to be reminded of the pain from his past all the time. Roi’s mother died in childbirth, and his father blamed him for it. Growing up without his mother was painful enough, but things got worse when his own father didn’t love and care for him. This made Roi skip school and become rebellious, something his father didn’t tolerate. To teach Roi a lesson, he resorted to physical abuse. To punish his only son, he would burn Roi’s left hand with cigarettes.

For a long time, Roi suffered this abuse, the marks of which covered the entirety of his hand. The abuse from his own further pushed him further into a life of crime, and eventually, he crossed paths with Berlin, who recognized something of himself in Roi. He took the boy under his wing and taught him the discipline and skills needed to be a crew member and ensure the success of a heist. This not only saved Roi from going to prison but also gave him a direction, something to focus his chaotic energy on. It felt like something his father should have done instead of punishing him for it.

Wearing the glove is Roi trying to keep his past to himself. The cigarette burns are not something that goes unnoticed by people. So, he wears the glove to keep them from knowing about it. Because Berlin is the only one who knows about it, it creates a bond between them, which surfaces in the form of undying loyalty and dedication that Roi has for Berlin, even though his faith in his boss starts to waver in the auction house heist.

Roi telling Cameron about the abuse from his father is him opening up his darkest parts and letting her into his troubled life and mind. It is him accepting the darkness inside of him, which he faces and conquers every day (which is why he got the tattoo on his other hand). The glove creates a line between him and the outside world, and only those who are made privy to its story are the ones Roi truly allows into his life and his heart.